The Sun - Lord of Mysteries (fanfiction)

Aucuses sat in a chair on the balcony of a magnificent white castle, holding a palette and paint brush, while a canvas was present on a wooden stand in front of him.

He swirled his brush across his palette, mixing the paint into a bright golden colour that glistened with particles of light, like stars in the cosmos.

He took the glistening paint-stained brush to the painting on the canvas.

The painting depicted a large city filled with densely packed houses and stone bridges that crisscrossed through houses and streets. A vast river flowed on the outskirts of the city, where ships emitting steam were docked at a port, while the blue sky was filled with numerous airships arriving from all over the world.

At the centre of it all, a colossal statue of a god stood. He was in a pure white robe, with a halo of light behind him. He held an open book with the symbol of the hermit in one hand and a balance scale in the other.

Behind the statue of the sun god, there was a bright golden sun. It emitted an endless rays of light, illuminating the city below.

Aucuses took the brush and pressed it against the golden sun in the painting. He stroked it, saturating the colour of the sun and turning it into an almost blinding white star in the painting.

The actual sun in the sky expanded, resonating with his strokes in the painting.

The sun became extremely bright, resembling a white star. The rays of the sun then descended from the astral world onto the earth. The rays resembled veils of light that shimmered and swayed as they descended.

"Praise the Sun!"

The chants of millions thundered under the divine miracle, while the other gods cast their gazes on Aucuses.

Aucuses finished his painting with the final stroke on the light of the sun. He smiled and nodded to the gods.

Then, he closed his eyes, his spirit began to expand and became one with the sun in the sky.

His vision now encompassed everything, wherever the light shone, and he was also always present in the sunlight.

He saw the vast astral world, as well as, malevolent entities outside the barrier.

They roared in sheer rage and anger, as the sun illuminated them, especially the Crimson Moon and Brown Jupiter. Their roars, in particular, tore reality itself apart.

He looked away from the barrier, ignoring the roars, and at the earth, passing through the northern and southern continents, while the area of the forsaken land of the gods and the western continent were hazy, as was the abyss in the oceans.

Soon after, his vision suddenly faded into darkness, which began to be illuminated by golden stars of light that appeared within the darkness.

He felt "Hope" within each of the golden stars, and it was as bright as the stars themselves.

Within a few moments, the stars had filled with darkness, like an ocean of light devouring darkness. Even when the darkness faded, the stars continued to appear.

Aucuses knew what the stars were,

They were his Anchors!

Which were multiplying at an exponential rate as the chants of millions filled his ears.

Aucuses finally emerged from his divine state and opened his eyes. His eyes had changed, and the indifference that had always been present in them had begun to fade.

And the creator's will in his body, which had become stagnant as a result of him controlling the Hermit Uniqueness, began to weaken as well.

The divine miracle, he performed served many purposes. Most importantly, he did it to remedy the damage to people caused by the war and disease.

The consequences were far too severe. Imagine mountains of corpses covering the vast plains as far as the eye can see. Such scenes were common throughout the empire.

The total number of deaths caused by the disease and war was nineteen million; such figures would have sparked outrage even in the modern world, let alone here, where the population is too small.

The disease spread by the ascension of the cheek was extremely lethal, and people died within moments of being contaminated. And, even though the disease was finally eradicated from reality with his "Order," many people died in those few moments in between.

Under the order of angels, the corpses of all those who had died were gathered and burned to ashes.

Many people lost everything, including their loved ones and homes, as well as their will to live.

As one would expect, the rate of suicides increased across the empire in the first week after the war and plague. The entire empire was also filled with a gloomy and negative atmosphere.

Even though not all committed suicide, their hearts were broken when they considered the future. Many didn't know what they would face tomorrow, and the unknown haunted the hearts of everyone.

They had lost "Hope" for a brighter future.

All of this even began to affect him and the other gods. Their anchors shook and dwindled day by day.

Actually, Aucuses already anticipated this at the meeting, which is why he told the broadcast at the time to them.

After noticing the problem, Lilith, Baldhiel, Herabergan, and others did not sit still. They immediately began trying to find a solution.

While, he and Amanises personally went to Artisan and pressed him to immediately release the majority of his inventions.

Artisan had not intended to launch the majority of his inventions in this manner. His plan was to release them one by one over the course of several years.

However, Aucuses and Amanises made a valid point to him, telling him that in light of the dire situation, the people need something to look forward to.

Aucuses anticipated that the situation would improve slightly with the advent of the industrial revolution. It did, but the majority of citizens, especially the poor and middle classes, will still unable to benefit from the magnificent inventions of steam for a long time to come.

Here is where, he decided to seize the opportunity and perform the miracle.

Even if people have lost hope and fallen into darkness, they will still yearn for the light.

Furthermore, by broadcasting the entire coronation live, the majority of the empire's common people will be able to witness the process, which they may never be able to do on their own. It took their focus away from the tragic past and towards the bright future ahead.

He planned to give them "Hope." He succeeded in the end. He must also admit that faith is a very powerful concept. Even he wasn't expecting such successful results in the end.

He now enjoys the benefits that he earned. The gains were that his anchors/believers, which is now increasing at an astronomical rate.

When the war of four emperors erupts, having stable anchors will be crucial. The war of four emperors will not be as quick as the previous one; it may last centuries.

At that time, the gods will almost certainly try to attack their enemies' anchors. He didn't want to risk losing his anchors at that time, which is why he was preparing for the war ahead of time.

Finally, his fading humanity was almost restored with the rise of the anchors. He expected this, but he did not anticipate the previously stagnant will of the creator in him to resume waning. Even though it is slow, it makes a significant difference.

'Anchors...' Aucuses thought, smiling. His eyes also glowed brightly.

His plan is not without any consequences; the anchors of the other five gods should have been affected because many people changed their beliefs to him due to the miracle.

Aucuses, on the other hand, was not concerned that they would come knocking at his door for a battle or an explanation.

He already gave them a chance when he told them in the meeting that they could help with broadcast if they wanted. But none of them offered assistance, which surprised him somewhat, as he expected Lilith, Amanises, or Herabergan to come forward....

Aucuses drank his cup of coffee on the balcony, his mind racing with chaotic thoughts.

'That is surprising...' His pupils suddenly narrowed as he gazed at the curtain floating before him, which showed the two carriages coming to a halt in front of the royal palace.